Big News from Highlander Institute

The second of two items from a K-12 blended learning organization.

An exciting new chapter for our team!

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Join the conversation as we partner with communities to design and implement culturally responsive school change.

After 18 years of our evolving partnership, Highlander Charter School and Highlander Institute have decided to move forward as two independent organizations.

This summer, Highlander Institute will be announcing our exciting new name and visual identity!

Highlander Institute and Highlander Charter School have shared a deep connection to centering students, creating engaging classrooms, and empowering individual learners. We have also shared social justice as a core value, symbolized in our names through a joint reference to the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee, paying tribute to their ongoing legacy.

As the first independent public charter school in Rhode Island, the Highlander Charter School has been an incredible partner and lab school for the Institute team. The partnership built on the Charter School’s mission to serve as a catalyst for social change, and its vision to design and provide research-based quality education opportunities to all learners. Both organizations shared a deep commitment to providing all children the opportunity and support necessary to meet their full potential.

The Institute’s growth and evolution was made possible by the Highlander Charter School Board. Their decision to merge the organizations in 2006 solidified the Institute’s standing and paved the way for our future as an organization capable of making a significant impact both locally and nationally. Over the past 18 years, Highlander Institute programming has shifted from a focus on literacy to education technology to personalized learning to our current model supporting Culturally Responsive School Change. We have consistently prioritized student-centered learning outcomes, innovation, community engagement, and improving student and family experiences at school.

This throughline continues to provide the foundation for our frameworks around instructional equity, inclusive change management, and liberatory data. We are proud to share that our partnerships are currently generating our most compelling student and teacher outcomes ever — particularly for historically marginalized student populations.

While 2023 will be our last year as Highlander Institute, our talented team and our approach to strengthening education systems will remain intact. We will launch our independent organization with all of the empathy, creativity, and impact that our stakeholders have come to associate with our work. Stay tuned for our big name announcement! And if you’re not already a newsletter subscriber, sign up now to stay informed.

Highlander Charter School and the rebranded Highlander Institute will keep growing, learning, and improving to better serve our communities. As independent organizations, we welcome this next chapter as a chance to redefine how we will continue to collaborate and support each other in the future.

Warmly,

Rose Mary Grant & the Highlander Charter School Team
Shawn Rubin & the Highlander Institute Team